26 Beach (Venice)

I drove by this SoCal mansion looking restaurant called 26 Beach for years and never checked it out. It was until my boyfriend told me about them being known for their burgers (#1 in LA!?). I was skeptical (and biased) at first but I gave it a try. It turns out to be one of the strangest, most confusing but fun experience I have (and only in Los Angeles indeed!)

The interior matched how I would expected from the exterior: chandelier, classical Italian with a SoCal sunshine vibe to it. No matter how you see it, this is a dining setting for upscale, old-school Italian food. Instead, they have a huge menu of Californian (fusion) cuisine and a big list of ‘craftsmen’ burgers as their signature feature.

Their latest addition to the menu from their Japanese chef is…Sushi Burger! It sounds a bit too tacky to work…

One of which, is the California Roll Burger- Angus 1/2lb patty with avocado, crab meat, pickled ginger, wasabi mayo, lettuce, tomato on brioche. It is gigantic!

A cross-section of this monster. My skepticism was dispelled once i bite into it.Wow the flavor works. The basic are perfect: fluffy broiche and juicy beef patty. The real crab meat gave a wonderful texture and flavors, while the pickled ginger added a clean sweetness to every bite. The seaweed flakes enhanced every bite with its aroma. It’s interesting and delicious! A minor complain is that I would prefer less mayo, but that’s my own preference.

My boyfriend got a Spicy Tuna Burger, it’s stronger tasting and blends more with the patty and brioche than mine. However we wished we had shared one.

Since these burgers are huge, it’s a challenged to eat them fast. I noticed the burger deteriorate fast (ie: the avocado started to get mushy and broiche is soaked), but that’s always been the problem of burger.

The other items on the menu seems like the usual Southern Californian cuisine and they have a huge menu for brunch…that makes them a good neighborhood place for the westsiders. But now with their sushi burgers this place has became a LA oddity that’s worth checking out.